Solid-liquid extraction is a process where compounds of a solid mixture, such as compounds in a matrix or bed of raw materials, are isolated by dissolving the desired compounds in an added solvent, where the extract is then further separated from the raw materials. As such, the process of solid-liquid extraction is often extensively utilized in a wide range of industries to extract desired bioactive and non-bioactive compounds for consumption. Examples of such compounds for consumption may be found in the following, but are not limited to, coffee beans, tea leaves, botanical herbs, spices, nutraceuticals, organic substances, and the like.
During the solid-liquid extraction process, tamping or properly packing the raw materials to be extracted within an extraction column is vital to the quality and flavor of the effluent extracted from the raw materials. This is because when the raw materials fail to be properly packed within the extraction column, the solvent has the characteristic ability to find the path of least resistance. The solvent then flows in areas of least resistance and forms channels within the packed raw materials, which results in the over-extracting of raw materials in some areas and significantly under-extracting raw materials in other areas.
Additionally, current technology and extraction methods fail to provide a solution to prevent the improper packing of raw materials to prevent the channeling of the solvent. When channeling occurs, the quality of the effluent extracted from the raw materials is poor, especially since many of the volatiles, solids, and constituents within the raw materials fail to be properly extracted.